In a suspension world dominated by Fox and RockShox, Manitou has quietly sauntered under the surface as a bit of an underdog, despite its early prominence. But make no mistake, it’s Mezzer enduro fork has been one of those (somewhat) hidden gems. Now it’s been around for a while, the brand has brought the fork back to the drawing board and fresh for 2026, its available in two chassis for those who prioritise weight savings, or those who want all of the stiffness, and it’s primed with a host of new tech.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Mezzer Gen 2 is that it’s available in one of two chassis. The ‘regular’ Mezzer model offers 140 up to 170mm of travel and balances lighter weight with stiffness. As before, the fork boasts a 37mm stanchion, which promises the same stiffness as a 38mm alternative, usually found on the Fox 38 or RockShox ZEB. Differing from the previous model, the Mezzer in the standard chassis gets a reduction in overall travel, but Manitou suggests that this brings benefits as it’s built with a shorter air shaft that reduces side-loading for less friction.
But if you’re after more travel and more stiffness, that’s where the Mezzer LT chassis steps in. Available in 150mm up to 190mm of travel, this chassis is basically a beefed-up version of the regular model. Its crown is reinforced, and it gets thicker-walled stanchions to help support its greater travel.
With two new chassis comes the Active Spring Piston. Each fork still uses the Dorado Air spring, but the air piston sits on a spring, which is said to “eliminate seal lag” while reducing breakaway force in the initial section of the fork’s stroke. Apparently, pairing this with the Dorado spring and the narrower 37mm stanchions makes for a smoother, more small-bump compliant fork.
In further pursuit of slippery smoothness, Manitou has introduced its Micromanger Bushing Alignment system, or MBA for short. It addresses binding in the fork bushings caused by the pressure applied when clamping the axle. This means more friction is introduced, and that the fork won’t be as plush or smooth. MBA is a machined component that’s designed to maintain alignment for the fork lowers when the axle is tightened, keeping each leg parallel and the bushings in line.
As for the new MC2-Pro-X damper, the new Mezzer models employ an air-backed bladder system, rather than an Internal Floating Piston. Manitou reckons that this avoids cavitation while keeping oil flowing in all of the right places. The damper also builds on the original by adding eight clicks of high-speed compression damping and 10 clicks of low-speed compression damping, offering finer adjustments than before. We’re told that, similar to RockShox’s systems, there’s minimal crossover between the two adjustments. It also brings high and low-speed rebound adjustments, which are also decoupled for minimal crossover.
While there’s an awful lot of new things here, one thing remains the same – Manitou’s famous reverse arch. No, the fork isn’t on backwards; instead, this arch requires less material to bring more stiffness.
At the moment, we don’t have prices on the new forks, but watch this space.
